Putting the 'Spotlight' on investigative reporting

Michael Keaton, left, played newspaper editor Robby Robinson in the Oscar-winning
film "Spotlight," which looks at The Boston Globe's investigation of sexual abuse
by Catholic priests.

“Spotlight,” the Oscar-winning movie that tells the story of The Boston Globe’s investigation
of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, has been praised by journalists for its authentic
portrayal of the work it takes to do in-depth reporting.

“Everyone should see the movie and should be cheering for good journalism,” said Charles
Bierbauer, dean of the College of Information and Communications. “It’s reflective
of what good journalism is supposed to be about. I’d love to have every journalism
student see it. It shows you what you can do if you take the time to dig through records
and knock on doors.”

The community will have the chance to hear from one of the central figures in the
Oscar-winning movie on Wednesday (March 16). Boston Globe editor-at-large Walter "Robby"
Robinson, who was portrayed in the film by actor Michael Keaton, is the speaker for
the Buchheit Family Lecture. The lecture, titled "Investigative Reporting: How Hollywood
Came to Celebrate What Newsrooms Believe is No Longer Worth the Cost," is at 7 p.m.
in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications auditorium at Greene and Sumter
streets. It is free and open to the public.

In conjunction with the lecture, the J-school will host a free screening of "Spotlight"
for the Carolina community in the Russell House Theater at 6:30 p.m., Monday (March
14).

Bierbauer, a former CNN senior White House correspondent, knows Robinson from the
days when they both covered the Reagan administration. Robinson left Washington for
Boston, where he became an editor and led the Spotlight team at the Globe. Bierbauer
said after seeing the movie, he knew he wanted to invite Robinson to speak at the
school’s annual Buchheit Lecture

“The important thing about “Spotlight” is it gives people an understanding of what
the work entails, and how it can uncover important failures on the part of people
in supposedly trusted positions, in this case, the Catholic church,” he said.

Robinson, who led the Globe’s Spotlight team which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for
Public Service, will discuss the movie and its implications about the future of investigative
reporting. A 1974 graduate of Northeastern University, Robinson has worked for the
Globe in a variety of roles since joining in 1972. He also served as distinguished
professor of journalism at Northeastern University for seven years.

The Buchheit Family Lecture Series was created in 2000 in honor of the late Phil Buchheit,
the former president and chairman of Mid-South Management Co. and the former publisher
of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. The series is sponsored by the Buchheit Family
Endowment, which provides undergraduate scholarships and graduate and doctoral fellowships
to students of the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

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